Easy to assemble, or “do it yourself” (DIY) floor panels have increased in popularity for use as replacements for interior parquet floors, linoleum sheet floors, and wall-to-wall carpets. Such floor panels offer consumers durable and aesthetically pleasing products at affordable price points. In conventional systems, opposing first and second edges of a floor panel are provided with a groove and a tongue, respectively, such that adjacent floor panels can directly engage and lock together. For example, a tongue of a first floor panel can engage and lock directly with a groove of a second floor panel. All four edges of a conventional floor panel can lock directly with one or more adjacent panels forming joints directly therebetween.
Conventional floor panels, systems, and methods have several disadvantages rendering them unsuitable for outdoor use and are therefore, unsuitable for use in exterior floor covering applications. For example, one disadvantage of conventional floor panels, systems, and methods is that there is no effective manner in which the panels can be secured for outdoor use. For example, conventional methods of gluing panels together may not be resistant to adverse weather, may be insufficient to secure the panels to exterior surfaces on windy days or during cleaning, and/or may be ineffective when exposed to the elements during outdoor use. Accordingly, a need remains for devices, systems, and methods for establishing suitable floor coverings adapted for exterior or outdoor use.
As an alternative to a floor covering, conventional wooden decks or outdoor floors can be replaced with new wood or a wood plastic composite structure. However, this option is typically not DIY and can be expensive. To date, a structurally stable and easy to assemble joint device for use as exterior floor coverings is lacking in the art.
Despite the availability of various devices, systems, and methods in the marketplace, a need remains for devices, systems, and methods for providing exterior floor coverings.